U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced more than $4.2 million to preserve nine historic battlefields in Virginia. These grants were awarded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

“Virginia is home to some of our nation’s most significant history, and this National Park Service program has been invaluable in partnering with the Civil War Trust and localities to protect these sites from development. Preserving this land is critical to ensuring that our children and their children can learn from our past,” the Senators said.

Warner and Kaine have successfully worked to preserve and protect Virginia’s historic battlefield sites. Last year, Warner and Kaine fought to add more than 7,000 acres to the Petersburg National Battlefield through the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. When Kaine first joined the Senate, he introduced bipartisan legislationwith Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)that was signed into law in 2014 to reauthorize and expand the American Battlefield Protection Program. As Governor, Kaine worked across the aisle to preserve more than 400,000 acres of open space in Virginia.

President Trump’s FY 2018 budget proposes a 15 percent cut to the American Battlefield Protection Program, an 84 percent cut to LWCF, and a 12 percent overall cut to the Department of the Interior.

The following historic battlefields will receive funding from the Department of the Interior:

· The Trevilian Station Battlefield will receive $30,515 in federal funding.

· The Second Manassas Battlefield will receive $256,925 in federal funding.

· The Opequon Battlefield will receive $1,466,339 in federal funding.

· The New Market Battlefield will receive $232,680.53 in federal funding.